Grave marker



June 7, 1938. 2. F. ANDERSON I GRAVE MARKER Filed Aug. 23, 1937 PatentedJune 7, 1938 FFEE GRAVE MARKER Zela Franklin Anderson, Hereford, S. Dak.

Application August 23,

2 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in grave markers and the mainobject is to provide a marker which will be inexpensive to manufactureand install, durable and ornamental.

Another object is to provide a marker made wholly of metal in the formof a shaft or housing having an opening normally closed by a slidingdoor but which, when opened, will permit a view of the interior of thehousing where flowers, and the like may be kept.

Another object is to provide a marker of this kind in which the lowerportion of the shaft or housing is made double-walled with anintervening insulating packing to prevent moisture collecting inside themarker.

With these and other objects in View the invention resides in the novelconstruction and arrangement of parts as hereinafter fully set forth andclaimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing as showing apreferred embodiment of my invention for purposes of exemplification.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the marker.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical cross section.

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross section through one margin of the door andits associated guideways.

In carrying out my invention I provide a housing or shaft 5 ofrectilinear cross section and of any desired length formed up from heavysheet metal of any suitable wear and weather resisting kind. Thishousing 5 is beveled or rounded off at its upper closed end 6 from oneside to the other, the side I toward which the top 6 slopes beinghereinafter termed the front of the marker. From a point just below thetop 5 the housing is formed with a double wall made up by slipping asmaller housing or shell 8 inside the housing 5 and leaving a space 9all around between their walls. At their lower ends the walls of thehousing 5 and shell 8 are curled around a heavy wire or rod frame H] asshown at H thus anchoring the parts together with a waterproof seal andreinforcing the open lower end l2 of the marker. A cross brace l3 hasits ends i l turned downwardly to fit inside of the upper end of theshell 8 where it is fastened by rivets l5 so that this brace extendshorizontally across the inside of the marker. The aforesaid space 9between the housing and shell is packed or filled with a waterproofrubber or fibre insulation as indicated at IS.

The sloping top 6 has a door opening I1 towards its frontal lower edgeand this opening is 1937, Serial No. 160,479

reinforced outside by a rectangular flat frame 58 secured to the top. Oneach side of the opening i1 and on the interior of the top 6, guidestrips 8 are secured and extend from the front clear to the back walll9, these strips l8 having the 5 offset webs 23 which formed clefts orguideways 2! in which the margins of the door 22 are slidably mounted.This door 22 conforms to the curvature of the top 6 and thus may bepulled down by the knob 23 to close the opening I! or 10 may be pushedupwardly and to the rear to open the same.

An inscription plate 24 may be secured to the housing by rivets orscrews as shown.

In mounting the marker on a grave a bed of 15 concrete is first made inthe ground over the grave and the lower end of the marker is imbedded inthe concrete. Then through the opening ii the interior of the marker isfilled with concrete up to the level of the upper end of the 20 shell 8where the concrete is smoothed off nicely.

In this manner the marker is firmly mounted and the upper face of theconcrete inside the marker may be covered with cloth or the like andwill serve as a rest or platform for flowers, pictures, 5 or the like,which may be viewed by opening'the door 22.

The cross brace I3 will serve also as a rest or stand for pictureframes. 7

The marker may of course be made in any 30 height, size and materialdesired.

While I have herein set forth a certain preferred embodiment of myinvention it is understood that I may vary from the same in minorstructural details, so as best to provide a practical 35 devicefor thepurposes intended, not departing from the spirit of the invention andwithin the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: 7

1. In a, marker, a housing having an open lower 40 end and a roundedupper end closed except for a doop opening, a door slidably mounted overthe said opening, a smaller shell mounted inside the housing and forminga space all around the in-' side of the housing, and a waterproofinsulating 5 packing in this space.

2. In a marker, a housing having an open lower end and a rounded upperend closed except for a door opening, a door slidably mounted over thesaid opening, a smaller shell mounted inside the 50 housing and forminga space all around the inside of the housing, and a waterproofinsulating packing in this space, the said housing and shell beingsecured together all around their lower ends.

ZELA FRANKLIN ANDERSON. 55

